Notching machine



April 14, 1942. J. w. EK'STEDT ETAL NOTCHING MACHINE Original Filed Fb. s; 1940 Patented Apr. 14, 1942 UNITED STAT NOTCHING MACHINE John W. Ekstedt and Kenneth W. Ekstedt, Union,

N. J., assignors to General Eyelet Supply Company, Inc., Roselle Park, N. 5., a corporation of New Jersey Original application February 6, 1940, Serial 317,604. Divided and this application September 15, 1941, Serial No. 410,960

6 Claims. (01. 164-50) Qur invention relates to means for forming notches in the longitudinal edge or edges of a strip.

An important object of the invention is to provide means of the above-mentioned character having a stationary part or parts to engage with the edge or edges of the strip, to guide the same during its longitudinal travel so that the strip will be properly centered with respect to the notching punch or punches. I

A further object of the invention is to provide means of the above-mentioned character having an element to accurately guide the notching punch before it enters the notching die.

A further object of the invention is to provide a notching punch so constructed that the notching of the strip occurs after the notching punch enters the notching die.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby a discharge passage is provided in the notching die for the passage of the blanks cut from the strip.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

The present application is a division of our application for Apparatus for producing eyelets, filed February 6, 1940, Serial No. 317,604.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a central vertical transverse section through notching apparatus embodying our invention, the notching punches being raised,

Figure 2 is a similar view, the notching punches being lowered, 4

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a similar view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a similar view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2, and,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of ,the notching punches.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, means are provided to form notches or cuts 55, Figure 3, upon an elongated strip or ribbon 56, from which eyelets or the like are to be formed. This strip ordinarily has a thickness of .005 of an inch although the same may vary. The strip 56 is formed of any suitable metal, which can be drawn, such as nickel, copper, steel, brass, zinc, or the like. The strip or ribbon 56 is fed longitudinally in a step-bystep manner, in the direction of the arrow and the notches are formed in succession in transverse pairs. The notches are circularly curved and are equidistantly spaced and the strip is fed each step for a length equal to the distance between the centers of adjacent notches.

The means which forms the notches comprises a pair of notching punches 51, which are in transverse alignment, and spaced, and rigidly held within openings 58, formed in an upper shoe 48. The notching punches are cylindrical and tubular and have cylindrical bores 59. The notching punches 51 have straight horizontal cutting edges and generally semi-cylindrical depending extensions 6|, having inner straight vertical faces .62. The cutting edges 60 are disposed at an elevation above the end of the extensions 61 and face inwardly with respect to the strip or ribbon 56- to cut the curved notches 55 therein. The notching punches 51 enter notching dies 63, rigidly held within openings formed in a lower shoe 46, when the upper shoe 48 is moved downwardly toward the lower shoe. The notchingdies 63 are cylindrical and have cylindrical bores and the extensions 6| enter these tubular notching diesbefore the notching'edges 60 engage with the strip or ribbon to notch the same.

Arranged within the tubular notching dies 63 are plugs 64, which are cylindrically curved, and

have their inner portions cut away providing flat faces 65, which afiord segmental passages 66 to receive the blanks which are stamped when the notches 55 are produced and these blanks are fed downwardly through the passages. The plug 64 are provided with reduced cylindrical extensions 61, at their upper ends, which are concentric with the plugs 64 and have their inner faces cut to provide fiat faces 60. The flat faces 68 serve as guides for the strip or ribbon. The plugs are held stationary within the notching dies v63. The notching punches 51 may be provided with a stripper H2 and the notching dies 63 with a stripper 88, and these strippers are moved toward the free ends of the elements carrying them, by any suitable means, such as those shown and described in our application Serial No. 317,604.

The operation of the notching means is as follows: Y

When the shoe 48 i in the uppermost position, the notching punches are elevatedsufliclently whereby they disengage the plug extensions 61. The stripper 2 moves outwardly with respect to the notching punches 51 while the stripper ing dies N. The strip or ribbon I! to be notched passes over the lower stripper N and is fed longitudinally in a step-by-step manner, and the length of each step is equal to the distance between the centers of adjacent notches II. The strip 86 is advanced a step and is brought to rest and during the longitudinal movement of the strip' its longitudinal edges contact with the flat faces I of the plug extensions '1 and are guided and centered by the plug extensions. The upper shoe I! is now moved downwardly with respect to the lower shoe 46 and accurately guided in its movement, by any suitable means or by the means shown and described in our copending application 317,604. Before the tubular notching punches 5! enter the tubular notching dies 63, the plug extensions 61 enter the bores 59 of the tubular notching punches, thereby serving to accurately guide the tubular notching punches with respect to the tubular notching dies so that the extensions 6| will first enter the bores of the tubular notching dies 63. The metal strip 56 is held between the strippers Ill and 88 and these strippers move toward the shoes 48 and 46 as the shoe 48 approaches the shoe 6. The extensions 6! enter the bores of the tubular notching dies 53 before the horizontal edges ill stamp or cut the segmental blanks from the edges of the strip 56. Upon the continued downward movement of the shoe II the notching. punches move downwardly into the notching dies 83 and the cutting edges cut the segmental blanks from the longitudinal edges of the strip 56 and these segmental blanks are fed downwardly through the segmental passages 86 and are discharged therefrom. After the shoe 0 has been moved downwardly to the lowermost position and a pair of notches 55 stamped the shoe ll is again shifted to the uppermost position and the cycle ofoperation is completed.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith sbown'and describedis to be vtaken as a preferred example of the-same and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention,- what we claim is:-

1. In a machine for notching theedges of a strip to be fed longitudinally, a shoe, transversely spaced tubular notching dies carried by the shoe, a second shoe arrangedopposite the first named shoe, tubular notching punches carried by the second shoe and having their inner portion; cut away for providing cutting surfaces arranged above the free ends of the tubular notching punches, plugs arranged within the' tubular dies and having inner fiat faces'providing passageswithin the tubular dies for the blanks stamped from the strip, said plugs having reduced upper away to provide cutting edges spaced from the free ends of the notching pimches, the free ends of the notching punches moving into the ends of the notching dies, plugs arranged within the notching dies and having reduced extensions to enter the tubular notching punches, the plugs being held inplace within the notching dies and having their inner faces cut away to provide downwardly discharging passages to receive the blanks cut from the edges of the strip, the inner faces of the plug extensions serving as guide means for, the strip.

3. In a machine for cutting notches in the edges of a strip, a lower hoe, a tubular notching die carried by the lower shoe, an upper shoe, a tubular notching punch carried by the upper shoe and having its lower end cut away to provide a cutting edge disposed at an elevation above the lower end of the notching punch, the lower end of the notching punch entering the notching die before the blade stamps out the blank at the edge of the strip, and a plug held within the tubular notching die and having an upper end portion adapted to enter the tubular notching punch, said plug forming with the tubular die a downwardly discharging passage for the blanks stamped from the edge of the strip and the upper end portion serving a; a guide for the strip.

4. In a machine for cutting notches in the edge of a strip, a shoe, a tubular notching die carried by the shoe, a second shoe arranged opposite the first named shoe, a tubular notching punch carried by the second shoe and having its free end provided with a cutting edge, the free end of the notching punch moving into the end of 'the notching die, a plug held within the tubular notching die and forming with the tubular notching die a discharge passage for the blanks, the plug extending beyond the free end of the tubular notching die to enter the tubular notching punch before the tubular notching punch enters the tubular die.

5. In a machine for cutting notches in the edges of a strip, a pair of spaced tubular notching dies, a pair of spaced tubular notching punches having their free ends adapted to be moved into the tubular notching dies, such free ends having cutting edges, plugs held stationary extension having inner fiat faces in alignment with the first named inner fiatfaces, the inner fiat faces ofthe plug extensions contacting with the edges of the strip and serving to guide the strip.

2. In a machine for cutting notches in the edges of a strip, a shoe, tubular notching dies carried by the shoe,'a second shoe arranged'opposite the first named shoe, tubular notching punches carried by the second named shoe and having their free ends at their inner: sides cut.

within the tubular notching dies and permanently extending outwardly beyond thefree ends of the tubular notching dies to contact with the edges of the strip and guide the same, said tubular notching dies having discharge es formed between the plugs and the walls of the bores of the tubular dies to receive the blanks.

6. In a machine for cutting notches in the edges of a strip, a pairfof spaced tubular notching dies, a pair of spaced tubular notching punches having their free ends adapted to be moved into the tubular notching dies, such free ends having cutting edges, cylindrically curved plugs held within the tubular notching dies and having their inner faces flattened to provide passages, within the tubular notching dies, reduced cylindrically curved plug extensions carried by the plugs and arranged in concentric relation thereto and having their inner, faces flattened, the inner fiat faces of the plug extensions being in alignment with the inner fiat faces of the plugs, the plug extensions being adapted to enter the tubular punches.

' JOHN W. EKSTEDT.

KENNETH W. EKSTEDT 

